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THG's 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season (THG - 100 Year Series)
The 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season was a hyperactive, extremely deadly and destructive Atlantic hurricane season, as well as one of the most active on record, breaking numerous records. It is the first season in recorded to history to reach the Greek alphabet, having reached Gamma. The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season featured 27 depressions, 23 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 6 major hurricanes. The 2004 season also had the second-most major hurricanes in one season on record. An estimated total of 2,819 deaths and approximately $165.7 billion in damages occurred, making 2004 the costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record, being only surpassed by the 2021 season. The most devastating effects were felt along the U.S southeast coast and the Gulf of Mexico, where 90% of the damages and deaths were caused by hurricanes Gaston, Hermine and Paula. Hurricane Hermine caused a 25-foot storm surge in Pensacola, Florida, destroying thousands of homes and killing nearly 110 people, making it one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in history. 65% of the damage in the 2004 season was caused by the storm. The season officially began on June 1st, 2004, and ran through November 30, 2004, although it persisted into early January 2006 with tropical storm Gamma which did not affect any land, and lasted from January 5 to January 10, 2005. The first system that formed was a depression in the Bahamas in late February 2004. The season's first tropical storm formed in mid-April, Alex, which was a minimal tropical storm that affected Georgia and South Carolina. In mid-May, hurricane Bonnie formed- the season's first hurricane. Bonnie was a weak category one hurricane in the Caribbean that considerably impacted Hispaniola, resulting in the season's first fatalities. In mid-July, activity started to ramp up with storms Charley and Danielle, with Charley causing damage in Florida. Danielle was a destructive category three hurricane that caused extensive damage in the Bahamas at peak intensity. Danielle caused about 45 people to lose their lives, and over $23.5 million in damages. Later in the season, August featured the formation of the two costliest and deadliest tropical cyclones in the 2004 season; Gaston and Hermine, with the latter causing $87.2 billion in damages and the former causing over $107 billion in damages, making the 2004 season the costliest tropical cyclone season on record with a cumulative total of $205.7 billion (2004 USD) in damages until the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. A few notable tropical cyclones impacted land later in the season. Tropical storm Jeanne impacted southeast Texas as a moderate tropical storm, causing considerable damage mainly in the form of flooding. Fourteen fatalities were attributed to TS Jeanne. Near the second week of October, tropical storm Karl impacted western Florida, also as a tropical storm. Karl struck the Florida panhandle as a weak tropical storm, but emerged over the western Atlantic ocean to strengthen slightly, making landfall at peak intensity near southern North Carolina with high winds and heavy rainfall. Karl caused seven fatalities, with about $750,000 in damages. The most notable late-season storm was Paula, which was a rare category five hurricane in November. The precursor to Paula was a tropical wave near the Virgin Islands, which became a tropical storm as it passed next to Hispaniola. The beginning of Paula caused about $5 million in damages and eight fatalities. Paula moved southwest over the Caribbean Islands before rapidly intensifying in the Caribbean into a major hurricane. Paula subsequently mowed down the southern tip of Cuba, causing widespread damage and destruction at peak intensity. Paula knocked out several power grids and killed hundreds of people due to storm surge. Paula then passed over the Cuban island, weakening into a category two hurricane but restrengthened into a category three storm, striking the Bahamas and then subsequently skirted the southeast coast of Florida causing considerable damage. Paula finally headed out to sea, gradually weakening over cooler waters before being absorbed by a cold front over Newfoundland on November 17. Paula was the most destructive November hurricane to hit Cuba in a long time, with over $10.8 billion in damages. Seasonal Forecasts Very early on December 16, 2003, CSU issued their forecast of the 2004 Atlantic season, calling for a slightly above average season with 15 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. On April 3, 2004, CSU revised their forecast, slightly raising the storm counts at 16-7-3. On May 20th, 2004, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued their first forecast for the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, forecasting 13-16 named storms, 7-9 hurricanes and 4-5 major hurricanes. The NOAA forecasted an above average number of storms due to a developing La Nina. Ten days later, on May 30, the Colorado State University (CSU) once again revised their forecast, slightly raising the number of major hurricanes. Preseason forecasts Midseason outlook Seasonal Summary ImageSize = width:820 height:205 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/02/2004 till:31/01/2005 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/02/2004 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TD value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:Tropical_Depression_=_≤39_mph_(≤62_km/h) id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Tropical_Storm_=_39–73_mph_(63–117_km/h) id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_74–95_mph_(118–153_km/h) id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_96–110_mph_(154–177_km/h) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_111–129_mph_(178–208_km/h) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_130–156_mph_(209–251_km/h) id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_=_≥157_mph_(≥252_km/h) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:28/02/2004 till:02/03/2004 color:TD text:One from:15/04/2004 till:22/04/2004 color:TS text:Alex from:12/05/2004 till:20/05/2004 color:C1 text:Bonnie from:01/07/2004 till:11/07/2004 color:TS text:Charley from:14/07/2004 till:24/07/2004 color:C3 text:Danielle from:20/07/2004 till:02/08/2004 color:C3 text:Earl from:03/08/2004 till:08/08/2004 color:TS text:Frances barset:break from:10/08/2004 till:13/08/2004 color:TD text:Eight from:17/08/2004 till:21/08/2004 color:TD text:Nine from:18/08/2004 till:30/08/2004 color:C5 text:Gaston from:27/08/2004 till:10/09/2004 color:C5 text:Hermine from:09/09/2004 till:18/09/2004 color:C2 text:Ivan from:22/09/2004 till:29/09/2004 color:TS text:Jeanne from:01/10/2004 till:04/10/2004 color:TD text:Fourteen barset:break from:07/10/2004 till:20/10/2004 color:TS text:Karl from:12/10/2004 till:16/10/2004 color:TS text:Lisa from:13/10/2004 till:25/10/2004 color:C3 text:Matthew from:20/10/2004 till:27/10/2004 color:TS text:Nicole from:26/10/2004 till:04/11/2004 color:TS text:Otto from:02/11/2004 till:17/11/2004 color:C5 text:Paula from:10/11/2004 till:17/11/2004 color:TS text:Richard barset:break from:25/11/2004 till:30/11/2004 color:TS text:Shary from:05/12/2004 till:10/12/2004 color:TS text:Tomas from:13/12/2004 till:17/12/2004 color:TS text:Virginie from:20/12/2004 till:28/12/2004 color:C1 text:Walter from:25/12/2004 till:28/12/2004 color:TS text:Alpha from:29/12/2004 till:02/01/2005 color:TS text:Beta from:31/12/2004 till:10/01/2005 color:TS text:Gamma bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/02/2004 till:29/02/2004 text:February from:01/03/2004 till:31/03/2004 text:March from:01/04/2004 till:30/04/2004 text:April from:01/05/2004 till:31/05/2004 text:May from:01/06/2004 till:30/06/2004 text:June from:01/07/2004 till:31/07/2004 text:July from:01/08/2004 till:31/08/2004 text:August from:01/09/2004 till:30/09/2004 text:September from:01/10/2004 till:31/10/2004 text:October from:01/11/2004 till:30/11/2004 text:November from:01/12/2004 till:31/12/2004 text:December from:01/01/2005 till:31/01/2005 text:January 2005 TextData = pos:(570,30) text:"(From the" pos:(618,30) text:"Saffir–Simpson scale)" Systems Tropical Depression One Tropical Storm Alex Hurricane Bonnie Tropical Storm Charley Hurricane Danielle Hurricane Earl Tropical Storm Frances Tropical Depression Eight Tropical Depression Nine Hurricane Gaston Hurricane Hermine Hurricane Ivan Tropical Storm Jeanne Tropical Depression Fourteen Tropical Storm Karl Tropical Storm Lisa Hurricane Matthew Tropical Storm Nicole Tropical Storm Otto Hurricane Paula Tropical Storm Richard Tropical Storm Shary Tropical Storm Tomas Tropical Storm Virginie Hurricane Walter Tropical Storm Alpha Tropical Storm Beta Tropical Storm Gamma Season effects Storm names The following names were used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2004. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2010 season. Retirement Category:TheHurricaneGod Category:Atlantic hurricane seasons